"Jack Leslie (English footballer) John Francis Leslie (17 August 1901 – 1988) was an English footballer who played as an Inside left. Born to a Jamaican father in Canning Town, Leslie was the only professional black player in England during his time with Plymouth Argyle. He was set to become the first non-white player to represent England at international level before he was denied the opportunity when selectors were made aware that he was ""a man of colour"". As a consequence, it wasn't until 1978 that Viv Anderson became the first black player to appear in an England shirt. Leslie"
"Benjamin Odeje Benjamin Odeje (born c. 1955) was the first black footballer to represent England at any level. Signed to Charlton Athletic, he played in five schoolboy internationals, making his debut against Northern Ireland at Wembley in 1971. Odeje was born in Nigeria and as a child moved to England with his parents. The family lived in south-east London, where Odeje attended South East London Secondary School in Deptford, and his mother worked as a nurse. In March 1971, as a 15-year-old, he was selected for the England schoolboys team to play Northern Ireland schoolboys at Wembley. His father was"
"Andrew Watson (footballer, born 1856) Andrew Watson (24 May 1856 – 8 March 1921) is widely considered to be the world's first black person to play association football at international level. He played three matches for Scotland between 1881 and 1882. Arthur Wharton was commonly thought to be Britain's first black player, as he was the first black professional footballer and the first to play in the Football League, but Watson's career predated him by over a decade. Watson was the son of a wealthy Scottish sugar planter Peter Miller Watson (1805–1869) (the son of James Watson, of Crantit, Orkney,"
"Arthur Wharton Arthur Wharton (28 October 1865 – 13 December 1930) is widely considered to be the first black professional footballer in the world. Though not the first black player outright – the amateurs Robert Walker, of Queen's Park, and Scotland international player, Andrew Watson predate him – Wharton was the first black professional and the first to play in the Football League. Wharton was born in Jamestown, Gold Coast (now Accra, Ghana). His father Henry Wharton was Grenadian, while his mother, Annie Florence Egyriba was a member of the Fante Ghanaian royalty. Wharton moved to England in 1882 at"
"from ethnic minorities to attend matches. Arthur Wharton, born in Gold Coast (today's Ghana), was the world's first black professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper for Darlington. Wharton was considered the first black professional footballer although he was pre-dated by Andrew Watson, a Scottish amateur footballer. Other early non-white footballers include Walter Tull and Hong Y Soo. Dark-skinned Everton centre-forward Dixie Dean recalled how racist comments were aimed at him as he left the pitch at half time during a match in London in the 1930s. Dean reportedly punched the offender before disappearing into the players' tunnel. The authorities"
"1926 the sportswriter ""Tityrus"" (the pseudonym of J. A. H. Catton, editor of the ""Athletic News"") named Andrew Watson as left-back in his all-time Scotland team. Queen's Park Andrew Watson (footballer, born 1856) Andrew Watson (24 May 1856 – 8 March 1921) is widely considered to be the world's first black person to play association football at international level. He played three matches for Scotland between 1881 and 1882. Arthur Wharton was commonly thought to be Britain's first black player, as he was the first black professional footballer and the first to play in the Football League, but Watson's career"
"Britain in the early and mid-20th century included Eddie Parris, a black Welsh international; Mohammed Abdul Salim, an Indian playing for Celtic; Tewfik Abdullah, an Egyptian who played for Derby County; the Jamaican Lindy Delapenha, who won a title with Portsmouth before moving to Middlesbrough; his countryman Gil Heron, who played for Celtic; and Charlie Williams, a British black defender for Doncaster Rovers who later became a successful entertainer. It was not until Viv Anderson that black footballers started to become accepted into the England national football team. Since then, many black players have played for England, and several have"
"Albert Johanneson Albert Louis Johanneson (13 March 1940 – 28 September 1995) was a South African professional footballer who was one of the first high-profile black men, of any nationality, to play top-flight football in England. He is recognised as being the first person of African heritage to play in the FA Cup final. Johanneson, a skilful and swift left winger, was recommended to Leeds United by a South African schoolteacher and joined the club in April 1961. He stayed there for nine years working diligently at his game, and by the 1963–64 season had established himself as a powerful"
"early 20th century. Some years later, Jamaican-born Lloyd ""Lindy"" Delapenha made an impact playing for Middlesbrough between 1950–57, becoming a leading goal scorer and the first Black player to win a championship medal. However, it was not until the 1970s that African-Caribbean players began to make a major impact on the game. Clyde Best (West Ham 1969–1976), born in Bermuda, paved the way for players such as Cyrille Regis (born in French Guiana), and Luther Blissett (born in Jamaica). Blissett and Regis joined Viv Anderson to form the first wave of Black footballers to play for the England national team."
"Charlton's first team, but went on to appear in non-League football in the London area for clubs including Hendon, Clapton and Dulwich Hamlet. Odeje has coached at Queens Park Rangers, worked as a teacher of physical education, and run children's soccer schools in north London. Benjamin Odeje Benjamin Odeje (born c. 1955) was the first black footballer to represent England at any level. Signed to Charlton Athletic, he played in five schoolboy internationals, making his debut against Northern Ireland at Wembley in 1971. Odeje was born in Nigeria and as a child moved to England with his parents. The family"
"as in Rotherham to acknowledge Wharton's achievements has gained wide support within the professional game. In 2012, a small statue of Wharton was presented to Sepp Blatter at the headquarters of FIFA, where it will be on permanent display. On 16 October 2014, a statue honouring Wharton was unveiled at St George's Park National Football Centre. Arthur Wharton Arthur Wharton (28 October 1865 – 13 December 1930) is widely considered to be the first black professional footballer in the world. Though not the first black player outright – the amateurs Robert Walker, of Queen's Park, and Scotland international player, Andrew"
"became an increasingly frequent presence in English football, mostly born to Afro-Caribbean immigrants who settled in Britain from 1948. With racial tension high in many parts of Britain and the far-right National Front peaking in popularity at the same time, many of these players were subjected to regular racial abuse from fans of rival teams, whose fans often pelted them with banana skins, as well as making monkey chants or shouting racist obscenities. Perhaps the most notable player to suffer this type of racial abuse during the 1970s was Viv Anderson, the Nottingham Forest full-back who became England's first black"
"the backroom staff of his local club, West Ham United, as the boot-boy. He died in 1988. Jack Leslie (English footballer) John Francis Leslie (17 August 1901 – 1988) was an English footballer who played as an Inside left. Born to a Jamaican father in Canning Town, Leslie was the only professional black player in England during his time with Plymouth Argyle. He was set to become the first non-white player to represent England at international level before he was denied the opportunity when selectors were made aware that he was ""a man of colour"". As a consequence, it wasn't"
"Emma Clarke (footballer) Emma Clarke (born 1876) was a British footballer, considered to be the first known black women's footballer in Britain. Born in Liverpool, to parents William and Wilhelmina Clarke, Emma, along with her sister Jane, who was also one of the earliest known black women footballers in Britain, grew up in Bootle. She worked as a confectioner's apprentice from the age of 15, and received her formative sporting education playing the game in her neighbourhood streets, in an area very close to where the suffragist Helen Graham Matthews lived. Matthews later gave her name to the team for"
"footballer to play association football for England. Clive Sullivan became the first black captain of the Great Britain team in 1972, 21 years before Paul Ince became the first black captain of England's association football team. Roy Francis was the first black coach of a leading club, almost half a century before the top flight of English association football would have a black British manager, a milestone also achieved by Ince (on 22 June 2008). Ellery Hanley earned the distinction of being the first black coach of any British national sporting team when he took charge of Great Britain in"
"Viv Anderson Vivian Alexander Anderson (born 29 July 1956) is an English football coach and former player. Born in Clifton, Nottingham, he played for various clubs in The Football League in the 1970s and 1980s, including Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday. He is also notable for being the first black football player to represent England in a full international match. Anderson spent a year as a schoolboy with Manchester United before being released. He returned to Nottingham where at school he sat and passed three CSEs. He then worked for three weeks as a silkscreen printer that"
"the summer of 1953 for Third Division South side Watford. He spent the first season with the ""Hornets"" as a centre forward and he scored 21 goals as Watford finished in 4th position. He remained at Vicarage Road for four more seasons before ending his career with non-league Chelmsford City. Source: Roy Brown (footballer, born 1923) Roy Henry Brown (20 December 1923 – 1989) was an English professional footballer who played as both a centre half and a striker. Brown was the first black player in the history of his first team, Stoke City. Brown also played for Watford, making"
"first black footballer and as well as being racially abused by fans of rival clubs, he was even abused by some of his own team's fans - who had a reputation for being some of the worst hooligans in the English game at the time. Viv Anderson, who had become England's first black full international in 1978, was also subjected to regular racist abuse during the 1980s when playing for Nottingham Forest and later Arsenal. English players have also been racially abused by overseas fans when playing for club and country. Manchester United striker Andy Cole was racially abused by"
"leagues. Before the early 1970s, only a small number of black players had ever played in English football, but the arrival of Commonwealth immigrants in Britain from 1948 saw many black players born in Britain to Afro-Caribbean parents breaking onto the scene a generation later. The first wave of black players mostly appeared for clubs who were based in areas which now had significant black communities - including Birmingham, Luton, Nottingham and West Bromwich. John Barnes, capped 79 times for England, was first racially abused by rival fans, from Luton Town, when he began his professional career at Watford in"
"Scotland three times in the early 1880s, and played in the Scottish Cup for Queen's Park.Arthur Wharton, who played for Preston North End and Sheffield United, amongst others, is recognised as the world's first black professional footballer. Jack Leslie was the first black player to be selected for England, but never actually played for his country – which is thought to be due to the colour of his skin. Frank Soo was the first (and so far only) ethnic Chinese person to play for England, during the Second World War, though these were not official internationals. Other non-white footballers in"
"Alf Charles Alfred Pious Charles (11 July 1909 – 1977) was a Trinidadian footballer who made one appearance (as an inside forward) in the Football League Second Division with Southampton in 1937. He was one of the earliest black players in English professional football and the first black player to sign for Southampton. He was born in Trinidad and first came to England with the 1933 West Indies cricket team as valet to the star player Learie Constantine. Although he never played on the tour, he subsequently turned out for Nelson in the Lancashire League in 1935 and 1936. He"
"have lost their lives, or who have suffered as a result of Empire."" He released his autobiography in October 2016 titled - 61 Minutes In Munich. Source: Howard Gayle Howard Anthony Gayle (born 18 May 1958) is an English former footballer who played for Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Halifax Town, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Sunderland and Stoke City. Gayle began his career with Liverpool and made the headlines after becoming the first black player to play for the Anfield side. After loan spells with Fulham and Newcastle United he joined Birmingham City in search of regular first team football. He"
"which he clearly didn't as census returns show. Rab Howell Rabbi ""Rab"" Howell (25 October 1867 – 1937) was a nineteenth-century professional footballer who played for Sheffield United and Liverpool primarily as a defender. Born in Dore moor in Sheffield he was of Romani descent and was the first Romani to play for England, winning two caps. Howell was a highly skilled player despite his small size (5 feet 5 inches or 1.65 metres), playing as a nippy half-back or inside right. He began his career with the Sheffield club Ecclesfield and also played for Rotherham Swifts before signing along"
"Howard Gayle Howard Anthony Gayle (born 18 May 1958) is an English former footballer who played for Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Halifax Town, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Sunderland and Stoke City. Gayle began his career with Liverpool and made the headlines after becoming the first black player to play for the Anfield side. After loan spells with Fulham and Newcastle United he joined Birmingham City in search of regular first team football. He then played for Sunderland and had a short spell in the United States playing indoor football with the Dallas Sidekicks. He returned to England and played for"
"He died in 1940. David Black (footballer, born 1868) David Gibson Black (22 March 1868 – 1940) was a Scottish international footballer who scored in the 1896 FA Cup Final for Wolverhampton Wanderers. He also played for both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. Black was playing for local club Hurlford when he was capped by the Scottish national team in 1889. He played and scored in a 7–0 victory over Ireland at Ibrox on 9 March. He moved south to Middlesbrough, then of the Northern League, before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1893, making his Football League on 2 September 1893 in"
"player born in Africa to appear in an FA Cup final when played in the 1874 FA Cup Final for Oxford University – in the match, played against the Royal Engineers at the Kennington Oval on 14 March 1874, the University were the victors by 2 goals to 0. His brother Herbert played for the opposition. He made his debut for the England football team on 6 March 1875 again at The Oval, in a game against Scotland, which finished 2–2. His brother Herbert won his only cap alongside him in this fixture. This was the first occasion on which"
"Laurie Cunningham Laurence Paul Cunningham (8 March 1956 – 15 July 1989) was an England international footballer. Cunningham was the first Englishman to play football for Real Madrid. Cunningham was reported to be the first black player to represent England at any level (having played at under 21 level). However, in May 2013, The Football Association amended their records, so that now Benjamin Odeje holds this record, having represented England seven years earlier at schoolboy level. Born in Archway, London, Cunningham started in schoolboy football and was turned down by Arsenal before joining Leyton Orient in 1974. He joined West"
"Laurie Cunningham Laurence Paul Cunningham (8 March 1956 – 15 July 1989) was an England international footballer. Cunningham was the first Englishman to play football for Real Madrid. Cunningham was reported to be the first black player to represent England at any level (having played at under 21 level). However, in May 2013, The Football Association amended their records, so that now Benjamin Odeje holds this record, having represented England seven years earlier at schoolboy level. Born in Archway, London, Cunningham started in schoolboy football and was turned down by Arsenal before joining Leyton Orient in 1974. He joined West"
"who was later confirmed to be white. Clarke was rediscovered by artist Stuart Gibbs only when a photo of the team that toured Scotland was discovered. He then identified that the player in question was Clarke, not Boustead. Theatre company, Futures Theatre, wrote a play called ""Offside"", which celebrates the contribution women have made to the game and which dramatizes the story of Clarke. Emma Clarke (footballer) Emma Clarke (born 1876) was a British footballer, considered to be the first known black women's footballer in Britain. Born in Liverpool, to parents William and Wilhelmina Clarke, Emma, along with her sister"
"Charles Follis Charles W. Follis, a.k.a. ""The Black Cyclone,"" (February 3, 1879 – April 5, 1910) was the first black professional American football player. He played for the Shelby Blues of the ""Ohio League"" from 1902 to 1906. On September 16, 1904, Follis signed a contract with Shelby making him the first black man contracted to play professional football. He was also the first black catcher to move from college baseball onto a black professional baseball team. Charles W. Follis was born on February 3, 1879 to James Henry and Catherine Matilda Anderson Follis in Cloverdale, Virginia. James Henry (b."
"or mixed race now. His England debut was nine years before that of Viv Anderson, who is widely credited as the first black player to appear for England. Paul Reaney Paul Reaney (born 22 October 1944, in Fulham, London) is a former footballer for Leeds United, Bradford City and England, primarily as a right sided full-back. He moved to the West Riding of Yorkshire from London as a child and left school at 15. He was briefly a car mechanic before Don Revie signed him for Leeds as an apprentice. Reaney made his professional debut shortly before his 18th birthday,"
"Mike Trebilcock Michael Trebilcock (born 29 November 1944 in Gunnislake, Cornwall) is an English retired professional footballer. He played primarily as a winger and is most famous for scoring twice in the 1966 FA Cup Final for Everton, becoming the first black player to score in an FA Cup Final. Trebilcock is described as a ""black mixed heritage player"" by sociologist Mark Christian, who notes that the label of first black Everton player is often wrongly given to Cliff Marshall, ""due to [Trebilcock's] ambiguous black mixed heritage"". Mike Trebilcock played for non-league Tavistock before joining Plymouth Argyle in December 1962."
"of Ireland, before he finally retired from playing in 1995 after a season playing for Fakenham Town in the Eastern Counties Football League. Although born in Jamaica, Blissett was eligible to play for England having moved to the country at a young age. After making four appearances for England under-21s, Blissett became one of the first black footballers to play for the senior team. He scored a hat-trick on his full international debut – a 9–0 win over Luxembourg, in doing so becoming the first black player ever to score a hat-trick for England. He never scored in any other"